CSU Channel Islands

B.A. Political Science adn History (2009)

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Khansari was a first generation Iranian-American, EOP student. She served in student government as an intern and senator.

After graduation, she served 2 years with AmeriCorps organizing trips to California state prisons for children to visit their incarcerated loved ones. She also provided worship services and counseling to lifer inmates.

Her second year in AmeriCorps shaped her future desire to serve the immigrant community. She spent one year as an ESL/Civics Instructor to Central American immigrants seeking US citizenship.

Khansari was accepted to Loyola Law School in 2014 and is currently in her 3rd year pursuing her JD. After her first year, she made the top 10% of her class and became a Loyola Law Scholar recipient and a member of the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society.

She is the Director of the Citizenship Project at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a non-profit legal center focused on providing immigration, housing, worker's rights, and family empowerment services to the Asian American communities of LA county.

Khansari oversees a $2M budget and suupervises 11 staff, including 3 staff attorneys. She successfully advocated for and implemented the organization's first ESL/Civics program. In January 2016, Khansari was a panelist for the White House Convening on New Americans and has organized multiple sessions on naturalization law at various conferences including the New Americans Campaign, National Immigrant Integration, and Advancing Justice. ​